Shaping Saudi Arabia’s National Image Under Vision 2030: An Appraisal Analysis of the Saudi Minister of Tourism's Davos Discourse
Abstract
This study aims to explore the Saudi Minister of Tourism's discourse on the image of Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030. It examines the panel discussion given at the Saudi House pavilion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2025, a 17-minute transcript with 53 evaluative tokens. This investigation is based on Appraisal Theory (Martin & White, 2005) and the Attitude system is investigated, which consists of Affect, Judgement, and Appreciation, and employs a qualitative single-case design in which the transcript is coded for attitudinal resources to explore the construction of a national image in evaluative language for an international audience. The analysis revealed that the three subsystems were fairly balanced, with none dominant, and that Judgement was realised mainly as Social Esteem and largely invoked, while Appreciation focused on the value of the sector rather than its sensory appeal. The Minister uses all three subsystems to show Saudi Arabia as an able and ambitious country and presents Vision 2030 as the frame enabling the sector's growth. The study concludes that the marginality of Judgement reflects the consumer-promotional genre rather than tourism discourse itself, with Judgement becoming central in this political-economic context.
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References
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